Celebrating Thanksgiving – Just For Kids ~ Episode 481
Are you celebrating Thanksgiving this year? I’m sure you and your family have special holiday traditions but in this podcast, I am talking about thanksgiving in that you are thankful. That you have an “attitude of gratitude.” And, not just for all the good things. Join me, Felice Gerwitz for this special Just For Kids episode (and bring the kids! all are welcome).
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Okay kids, think fast! What is your favorite thing about Thanksgiving? Wait. What? Some of you said the food and others said you don’t like the traditional foods, like turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing. Do you like those little cranberry nubby things? You know, the cranberry sauce? Maybe you said, “yes” to this and maybe you said, “no.” We all have things we like and dislike. But just like you have a choice in liking or disliking the things you eat, you also have a choice. We can choose to be happy and thankful! And only you (and your attitude) can make it the best day ever! What do I mean? Well, that’s what I want to share with you.
Attitude is everything when celebrating Thanksgiving or just living life each day.
Sometimes we have this idea of what should happen, right? Let’s say you are going to your grandparent’s home for Thanksgiving. Each year you have a really good time. There is good food and your grandmother even makes sure she has chicken nuggets or something you like very much to eat. She also has games or crafts for you to do, and her house is like a park. There is a pool and a pond, there is air hockey and ping pong upstairs, and you are excited about seeing your cousins or playing outside. That is until you show up! You learn your cousins are sick and can’t come and it is raining outside. Does this mean that you have a terrible time? Maybe. But, maybe not.
Did you know that being sad or miserable is a choice? It is something we do, and we have the ability to be sad or happy. Sure, if we are out for a walk and it starts raining buckets of water we won’t be thrilled that we are soaking wet. But, at least it is not buckets of hail or snow and we are freezing cold. Do you see? You look at the bright side or you find the good in things. If you were caught in a rainstorm you might say, “This is great, now I don’t have to wash my hair tonight.” I hope you don’t say that, but you know what I mean, right? You are trying to see the good instead of the bad in things.
Do you want to be angry? Miserable? Really sad? No? Well great! That means you would like to know more about the attitude of gratitude. What is it and why do you want to know more? Well, I am so glad you asked.
We should have an attitude of gratitude. This means that you are thankful and grateful for everything big and small.
- Gratitude (being grateful) is a choice.
- It can become a habit, but it takes practice.
- It helps us to be happy instead of sad.
- It helps us to be adaptable when there are changes in our life.
- It encourages us to look for the good instead of the bad.
What are some ways that you can practice being grateful?
- Seeing the good in things.
- Express your gratitude with words.
- Celebrate the little things.
- Chose to be happy.
- Make a list.
Remember being grateful is a choice and we celebrate Thanksgiving for many different reasons. But one reason remains, to be together with our family and our friends. It is a way to show others that we appreciate all that they do. If you have people over to your own home do you have to help to clean up? Or do you see how much work your mom or dad does, maybe with the help of your older brothers and sisters? There is a ton of work that goes into having people over to your house. You don’t want them to open the front door and see a pile of dirty laundry or a mess the dog made, right? Of course not! So, we prepare and plan to get things just right. And sometimes everything looks great and sometimes there are last-minute things we have to do. Either way, we chose to be happy in the preparation and once the guests arrive.
Being available to your family is wonderful as well. Does your mom or dad need help? You won’t know unless you ask them. Are you willing to help? If not look at the reason why. Did you know that sometimes even adults don’t feel like doing things they are supposed to do? Believe me, I don’t always feel like preparing meals or baking for when the company comes over. Part of being grown up is doing the things we don’t want to do, and if you have an attitude that says, “I wish you would not come over,” your guests will know this when they come!
Can you imagine going to your grandparent’s home for Thanksgiving and finding that your grandmother made Turkey sandwiches and potato chips, and is serving store-bought cookies for dinner? You might say, “Yay!” if you like Turkey sandwiches, but that is not what you would expect. Am I right? But we make the best of things no matter what we find when we walk in.
When my grandchildren come over to my house the first thing they ask is “Grandma, what are we having to eat?”
What they should say is, “Hi Grandma! Thanks for all the hard work you are doing so that we can come over and eat some of our favorite foods.”
I am only partially kidding, because who doesn’t want to hear that from your son or daughter or your own grandkids? We all want to hear that gratitude that thanksgiving, that I appreciate all you are doing for me, and how can I help.
This all takes practice, it does not happen overnight, but the one thing I want you to take away from this podcast is that you are in control of your own feelings. And if you want to be happy, excited, and thankful it takes deciding that you will find the good in things that happen. Are you ready to be grateful? Are you ready to be happy about the little things? Are you ready to be a nicer person to everyone you meet? It takes only one person to make a change and that person is you! Congratulations on a life that is happier and fuller and I pray that this podcast has made you think of how you can be a blessing to others, not only at Thanksgiving but all year long.
